Auto Add Child Tasks

[Elif Alverson]

Hello, 

I am working on an automation to convert a custom issue type and all the associated child issues (tasks) to an epic and its child tickets. The custom issue type conversion works during the " manual trigger" action.  But child tasks are not added to the newly converted epic as its child issues. Any help will be appreciated. 

[Trudy Claspill · Accepted solution]

Hello @Elif Alverson 

What does the Audit Log reveal for this rule when it runs?

Are you making this conversion with issues in a Team Managed project or a Company Managed project?

[Elif Alverson]

@Trudy Claspill , hello again. This is a company managed project and here is the audit log screen shot. 

[Trudy Claspill]

The log indicates that the rule was triggered for issue MTTP-548, and that MTTP-548 doesn't have any linked issues.

Can you show us a screen image of this issue illustrating that it has/had linked issues at the time the rule was executed?

Can you show us a screen image of an identically configured issue before this rule has been run?

[Elif Alverson]

@Trudy Claspill , 

This custom issue type is created to use as a template (Issue templates for Jira App) with Hierarchy Level 1 and there are a few issues in epic - see below - even though the issue type is not epic before the automation. This is one of the templates below before the automation ran; 

After I ran the issue in automation manually here is how it looks like below. It is an epic now with no child issues attached.

I hope I did not make you more confused. 

[Trudy Claspill]

Hello @Elif Alverson 

Typically Jira doesn't support creating a custom issue type that Jira will treat the same way it treats Epics. 

I see you are on the Standard plan, and you mentioned that you used the Issue Templates for Jira app. Is that this app?

https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1211044/issue-templates-for-jira?hosting=cloud&tab=overview

It seems like that app itself gives you a method to create the new Epics with child issues from a template Epic that has child issues.

When you have an issue that you consider a template, or an app that lets you create templates for issues, you would usually create a new issue from that template. I'm unclear why you would be trying to change the issue type of a "template" issue in an automation when the nature of a template is to be used to create new issues.

I'm unclear on the implementation you have created and the reasoning behind it, at this point, so I'm not able to make a suggestion about how to fix it without more information.

[Elif Alverson]

@Trudy Claspill , this idea was shared with me to test and look into if it is possible. I will let the idea owner to know that it is not a possible at this time.  Thank you so much for your time and help. 

[Trudy Claspill]

Can you share with us the idea you were given to test? What problem are you trying to solve - disregarding the technical details of implementing a solution?

[Elif Alverson]

@Trudy Claspill ,

The reason of us using a custom issue type is to hide the epic templates from the drop down menu of the app's" Create from template" which pulls the data from the project's screen schemes. There are so many epic templates visible to all the other teams . It looks very crowded and confusing.

There is a way to associate the epic templates in the app with project/s, however these templates needs to be visible to many projects ( more to come ). It does not seem like a good solution to manually add the projects to the templates especially if there are more projects to come in the near future. 

The issue type epic comes with feature of epic name/ link /create a child issue etc. which is necessary and custom issue type do no provide these type of features. That is why we would like to convert back. 

I hope it makes sense to you. Thanks again. 

Elif 

[Trudy Claspill]

I took a look at the app.

As I understand it the "templates" actually are issues that exist in a special Template Repository Jira project.

I am curious how you were able to use a non-Epic issue in that project and assign "Issues in this Epic" to it.

I have a Free version of Jira. I see you have a Standard version.

In Issue Type Hierarchy I can add another issue type at level 1 along side the built in Epic issue type, but Jira doesn't actually let me treat that other issue type like an Epic. I can't actually add child issues to it.

If you don't feel like exploring this more, that is fine. I'm just following where my curiosity takes me. :-)

[Elif Alverson]

@Trudy Claspill , you can use the " Plans " to add tasks as child issues to any the custom fields. Thanks again. 

[Marc - Devoteam]

Hi @Elif Alverson 

I have looked into this and the issue I haven't been able to resolve is that when automated change of the issue to Epic

To have the Epic Name populated.

I have tried to use the issue summary as the value of a variable and let the Epic Name be populated with value, so that on the sub-task this can be set as the Epic Link.

Until now no luck.

Maybe others can look into this as well.

Because when you change the issue type to Epic to have others issues that were linked as child, the Epic Name needs to be populated and the Epic link needs the name or key to the Epic to behave as the child.

Rule is was experimenting with:

[Sayed Bares [ServiceRocket]]

@Elif Alverson It is probably because of Branch rule / related issues. According to the screenshot it is looking for Linked issues, what happens if you change it to 

Stories (or other issues in Epic)?

[Elif Alverson]

@Sayed Bares [ServiceRocket] , changed that part as you mentioned but nothing changed.